Inmates stabbed during fight inside jail

BARTON JAIL

Pedro Hechavarria holds his hand up to the glass to show the scars where a knife went straight through his palm.

There are more scars up his arm, on his back and his torso. In all, the Hamilton Wentworth Detention Centre inmate was stabbed nine times and received 27 stitches.

The fight? It began over who got to keep a new pair of socks.

"I'm the strongest guy on the range, but I'm not a bully," he said through a telephone, sitting behind glass inside the jail. He claims he intervened when another inmate was also stabbed.

But Hechavarria doesn't care to rehash why the attack happened. He and his supporters want to know why it was allowed to happen.

They don't blame the correctional officers. They blame the "broken" Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services for what they believe is an underfunded institution, both in terms of security infrastructure and staffing.

The ministry told the Spectator that the metal detectors at the jail were not working properly for at least a month between December of last year and January. Supplementary security was put in place, but the ministry has refused to share details for security reasons.

The revelation is part of the Spectator's ongoing investigation into problems at the jail, including several apparent drug overdoses and three likely drug-related deaths. Correctional officers at the jail say they don't have the security tools or search powers to stop contraband from entering the secure facility.

Ministry spokesperson Brent Ross confirmed there was an incident at the jail March 7, where two inmates were injured. "Given this matter is under both our internal and police investigations, it would be inappropriate to provide further details," he added.

Friend and former inmate Joshua Veres said he wonders if the security lapse allowed what he believes was a knife to get in.

It's unusual inside the jail to see an actual knife, which Hechavarria believes he was attacked with, Veres said. Typically inmates use shanks – homemade knives made by sharpening objects that are often jagged and don't leave clean cuts like Hechavarria's injuries.

But the answer to that question – how the alleged knife got in – may never be known. Hechavarria believes it was flushed down a toilet after the stabbing. It was never found, he says.

The stabbing landed Hechavarria in the hospital for a day. Now he's in protective custody.

The security lapse with the metal detector was fixed by Jan. 14. But Veres said it would be easy to hide a knife for months.

Hechavarria is a permanent resident who has lived in Hamilton for five years. The roofer left behind all of his family in Cuba. He was previously convicted of drinking and driving and still has to face a breach of probation charge after an address mix up. He is currently in Barton after pleading guilty to assault charges for an incident with his former girlfriend.

His sentence ends July 7.

In a previous interview with the Spectator a spokesperson said the provincial government has upgraded security across the province, including spending almost $780,000 on security camera upgrades, metal detectors and outdoor netting in Hamilton.

Hamilton police Constable Debbie McGreal-Dinning said she could not confirm the investigation, but added that police were called to the jail three times in the month of March and are called by jail staff for the more serious incidents.